Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, Editor

Doing the Right Thing

My last two messages to you have explored issues involving our core values, and this one will follow the same path.

Thus far in my tenure as Group III Commander, I've had the good fortune to present eight Mitchell Awards. Now, I wouldn't say that I have a standard speech that I give every time I'm afforded this privilege, but I always manage to say similar things. I usually start by defining what it means to be an officer, and then I talk about how the cadet who has just received his or her Mitchell award, in becoming an officer, is accepting a mantle of responsibility that far exceeds any expectations that cadet has ever been previously accountable to. And then I follow up with an admonition to rely on our core values when confronted with a difficult situation, because our core values give us a way to dimension what "the right thing" is in relation to being a CAP volunteer.

We all know that this advice doesn't apply only to cadets who just received their Mitchell –  it really applies to all of us. It applies especially to commanders, because – trust me on this one – commanders often come across some pretty thorny problems.

For example, not many of you are aware that – even as I compose these words – the TX-030 unit (not all of Group III mind you, just the TX-030 headquarters unit) is suspended from all CAP activities because of deficiencies in our S3 report (property). Now, as a Group Commander, I have some very important responsibilities here, not the least of which is to take whatever action is necessary and in accordance with regulations in order to resolve the suspense and get TX-030 back to active status again. Otherwise, as a suspended unit, we won't be able to execute our missions.

It so happens that no item unaccounted for has a paperwork trail showing that anyone in TX-030 has ever signed for it, and that fact alone should obviate the suspension. But that doesn't really solve the problem, does it? We still have several very expensive pieces of equipment that need to be accounted for. Even if no one in Group III ever signed for them, I wouldn't be doing the right thing if I didn't make every effort to assist Wing in locating these assets.

As a Group Commander, as a CAP officer, and as a volunteer who has been entrusted with the authority to make use of taxpayer-funded assets – radios, vehicles, and aircraft – my job will not done just because a suspension is lifted. My core values compel me to make an extra effort, and do everything I can to assist my organization in locating these important pieces of equipment. In fact, these items were really entrusted to us all, even if I did not personally sign any form accepting custody of them.

There is an object lesson here.

I hope all of you have understood it, and are on board with our shared responsibilities.

Lt Col Owen Younger, Commander

2007 AFA Flight Scholarships Announced, 10 May

Cadets Work the SAREVAL, 18-20 May

(2d Lt Michael Bownds, Mission Staff Assistant Trainee)

Time Well Spent

Just seven minutes a day, in His presence, can make your day.

Chaplain (Maj) Ron Whitt

Open Group III Staff Positions

Personnel/Admin Officer, and Emergency Services Officer. For details, please contact the Chief of Staff  - alan.omartin@verizon.net

Maj Alan O'Martin, COS

Group III Patch Available

Are you on Group III Staff? Wear the Group III Staff patch proudly. At $5.00 each, they are a bargain and show your commitment to Group III and the CAP program. (Click on the image for a larger view.)

Group III Coins Available      Our mint has delivered a batch of new Group III Commemorative Coins, and you may own as many as you wish, for $10.00 each. They make wonderful gifts for your loved ones ... or even yourself. (Click on the images for larger views of the obverse and reverse.) To purchase either Group III Patches or Group III Coins, please contact Maj Alan O'Martin - alan.omartin@verizon.net

Maj Laurie Lancaster, FO

1st Lt Opal McKinney, HGO

And here's another bit of news. If you participate as a staff member or director of an SLS, this satisfies one of the requirements for Levels IV and V.

Member Reports Now Online at e-Services

CAP now offers a new online Member Reports feature at e-Services. Members who have access to Member Reports can use their PCs to view reports directly from the central CAP repository. This lets you review the most accurate and timely data available.

Member Reports is a Restricted Application, assigned to members by their Web Security Administrator (WSA) as directed by an appropriate commander. Currently, the application is in its infancy, but it promises to become the must-have for accurate member reporting. More reports will be added to support CAP missions and administration most commonly requested by CAP Members. Members will be able to select the report of their choice, after providing member organization, member type, and choosing one of three available formats: PDF, Word, or Excel.

The following personnel Information is available online at the Member Reports page on e-Services (left-hand side of main page): General, Achievements, Address, Characteristics, Contacts, Duty Positions, Photo, and Training. Members should review their information often to ensure that it is accurate and up to date. You can edit your own contact information; other information must be submitted by your unit. If you need help, please ask your unit PDO.

Senior Member Training Opportunities

1st Lt Vanessa Smith, PDO

Public Affairs – Waco CSAREX

Waco Consolidated SAREX, 27-29 April

WACO REGIONAL AIRPORT, TX – About 100 volunteer members of Texas Wing, Civil Air Patrol, with 11 aircraft and 6 vans, gathered during the weekend of 27-29 April to participate in a Consolidated Search and Rescue Exercise (CSAREX). This major exercise, involving Texas-wide subordinate CAP squadrons that assembled and operated as a unit, was controlled from the Waco Regional Airport in Waco, TX. Coincidentally, this is also where the Texas Wing Headquarters is located.

The exercise commander (the official job title is Incident Commander or IC) was Lt Col Donald “Chuck” Kowalewski. The exercise control element, called Mission Base (as well as Incident Command Post or ICP), was staffed by qualified CAP personnel drawn from across Texas. Also present would be two USAF observers and Mr Ed Brown, Texas State Director (who is also a Colonel in the Texas Air Guard). Blackland Aircraft Corp. had graciously provided their hangar on loan for the weekend, which would be used for temporary billeting, briefing, and mission preparation area.

Participating flight crews and ground teams were to be tested on their ability to successfully find assigned targets, either solely from the air, through ground team activity alone, or by conducting coordinated air-ground searches, all of them operating as if they were dealing with a real event. Aircrew planning, flight briefing, sortie execution, use of gridded charts and report production were to be evaluated throughout, along with ground team and operational and command staff performance.

In the afternoon of Friday, 27 April, ICP personnel arrived and set in motion the complex coordinated effort required to finalize and implement the CSAREX. Communications, the sole responsibility of Cadet Senior Master Sergeant Michael Moody, was up and running shortly after nightfall. This highly reliable portable setup, a mobile box that had traveled from Georgetown, TX some 85 miles to the south, was powered by batteries that were kept fully charged by a self-contained generator. Rolling the little trailer into place, unpacking it, setting up the antennas and radio, and testing it took only 45 minutes, beating night-fall by just a few minutes.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.  

 [1]-[2] On Friday, Cdts Michael Moody and Joshua Wreyford unload the field kitchen and communications kit from the Apollo C.S. trailer. [3]-[4] Waco C.S. cadets prepare to go out on a ground team sortie on Saturday. [5] TXWG Commander Col Joe R. Smith, trainee CUL Capt Brady, and Cdt Michael Moody in front of the radio setup [6] Col Smith talks with ground team members. next to him, Cdt 2d Lt Dale Crump and his father, 1st Lt James Crump.

Upstairs, in the borrowed office space, a live broadband Ethernet connection – tapped via a computer switch – promptly provided effective computer reach that staff members were able to use in order to prepare, share, and refine the operational and administrative functions of the CSAREX.

By 11 p.m. Friday, some CAP vans had arrived, bringing ground team personnel. Other CAP members used their personal vehicles. Of all ages, they came from all over Texas to this one city, temporarily turning it into Texas Wing’s consolidated center of field operations. Two aircraft were tied-down on the apron area by the hangar. The ICP staff members gathered for the final briefing of the day, sorted out needed details, and then retired for the evening. The following day would mark the start of air and ground operations.

On Saturday, 28 April, after breakfast at 6 a.m., mission staff personnel prepared for the general briefing at 8 a.m., which was followed immediately by two group briefings, one addressing ground operations personnel, the other one, aircrews. The Wing Commander, Col Joe R. Smith, kicked off the general briefing by welcoming and thanking everyone present, then reminding them that, “Nothing is worth taking a risk and compromising safety.”

By this time, all expected personnel and equipment had arrived, including all aircraft and aircrew members. The purpose of the CSAREX was to accomplish as much individual training as possible, based on the participants’ qualifications and requests. To this end, individual scenarios were prepared to test the participants’ ability to do the tasks required, and help them gain additional skills.

Radio communications were ready and the communications net was opened, accommodating ground-to-air on two channels, ground-to-ground on a 3^rd channel, and air-to-ground using a 4^th channel. Participants were cautioned to ignore radio traffic not addressing them individually, because each team would be assigned unique tasks, unrelated to those of other teams.

This differs from a Directed Exercise, where there is a specified scenario common to all and individual teams are required to work on small portions of the overall objective(s). In this case, paying attention to radio traffic would not only be a help but a necessity, since all activities would focus on common goals.

Vehicles must be inspected immediately before they can be taken on a mission – either aircraft or vans. This causes a delay in the start of every mission, and slows down air sortie and ground team launch times. Most cadets participated in ground search missions, though in some instances some might have been part of an aircrew, rarely as pilots but more often in a scanner/observer role – this time, none were used in this capacity.

El Paso and Amarillo had been expected to participate in the CSAREX as forward areas, simulating unspecified remote locations distant from the Incident Command Post. Due to adverse weather – high winds – El Paso was unable to operate as the exercise got under way, and would re-evaluate conditions later on Saturday.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, Mr Frank Patterson, Emergency Operations Coordinator for the City of Waco, visited the ICP. The Incident Commander and the Information Officer received him and briefed him on CAP’s capabilities. The group was later joined by Mr (Col) Ed Brown, Texas State Director, who is an old acquaintance of Mr. Patterson’s.

During the conversation that followed, Mr. Patterson mentioned that, in June, Waco is planning a tabletop exercise over a hypothetical 2-county-wide area, designed to test Functional Interoperability. Such an exercise will actually take place during July in Central Texas. The concept of operations is to test the ability of all member agencies to share information – seamlessly and efficiently – after an extensive upgrade of radio equipment that incorporates programmable frequency technology. “We had to do this on a budget,” he said. “If we’d had all the money in the world, it would have been in place and working already.”

The IC had set a goal of launching all flights by 11 a.m. – that is, three hours after the start of the general briefing – an objective that in fact required quick and efficient handling of all administrative, hands-on and clearance requirements. This is a stringent goal that is seldom realized, often by several hours. In this case, the goal was achieved by 11:15 – just 15 minutes late. “Not bad,” was the general feeling. In fact, morale was high at all levels. The aircrews were happy, and the support personnel knew that “the impossible” wasn’t that hard to accomplish after all.

By 2 p.m. Saturday, three ground teams had returned from their missions, and aircrews had flown 24 sorties, all of them successfully completing their assignments. This was an impressive score, especially on the part of the aircrews, and the participants knew it. The result was a quiet but effective boost to morale that promoted some gentle joking and friendly banter.

At the close of daily operations by nightfall on Saturday, 28 April, the Texas Wing, Civil Air Patrol Consolidated Search and Rescue Exercise (CSAREX) participants had successfully completed 6 ground search missions and 35 aerial sorties. These had been launched and returned to base, each on a simulated emergency mission designed to perfect the skills of individual members. These skills – and experience – are destined to be put to the test without notice, whenever a natural or man-made disaster strikes.

During the staff mission briefing at 7 p.m. that evening, the Texas Wing Commander, Col Joe R. Smith, thanked everyone for doing a good job. Then he added, “In my 20 years in the Civil Air Patrol, this is the first exercise in which there have been no complaints about communications.” The Communications Officer for the exercise, Cadet Senior Master Sergeant Michael Moody, age 15, smiled in rosy-cheeked bashful pride, as he held the portable radio he had brought along so that one of the two Mission Radio Operators he had left in charge – some 120 feet away – could reach him in case of an emergency.

Within seconds of hearing the Wing Commander’s praise, a call came through on Cadet Moody’s set, “Ops, this is Mission Base. Received Mayday and ELT signal acquired.” The radio operators were both 13 years old, but they had their proper radio procedure down pat. The tone of the voice was not that of an adult’s, but the urgency in the words and the message format were very real.

7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

[7] Col Joe R. Smith, Wing commander, talks with 1st Lt Cheri Fischler, Apollo C.S. commander, who provided meals from her portable kitchen. [8] At the commo post, standing at left, Mr. (Col) Ed Brown, Texas State Director, Capt Brady, Cadet Michael Moody, Incident Commander Lt Col Donald "Chuck" Kowalewski, and Mr. Frank Patterson, Emergency Operations Coordinator for the City of Waco [9] Exercise participants enjoy a meal "al fresco" as catered by 1st Lt Cheri Fischler. [10] Cdt Andrew Papson (Black Sheep C.S.), one of the Mission Radio Operators, tells 1st Lt Jim Wreyford (Apollo C.S.) about the "Mayday" transmission. [11] Cdt Michael Moody establishes known details about the "Mayday" and subsequent presumed crash (later turned out that the pilot walked away from the wreckage).

Whenever an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) goes off, the Civil Air Patrol and the US Air Force take it seriously; especially when preceded by a “Mayday,” the international convention for, “Help me, I’m in trouble.”. Sprinting as never before in his life, Cadet Moody literally flew out of the briefing room and raced down the stairs and out the building, on his way to the exercise’s radio post. Other staff members, less young than he, followed at a slower pace and were soon by the communications desk, listening attentively to the radio traffic.

At the Incident Command Post, after establishing that the event was real, the wheels were set in motion for the Civil Air Patrol to be activated. Within minutes, the Air Force Rescue Control Center (AFRCC) had issued a mission number, and the exercise got a “Red Cap” – as an AFRCC mission number is known. A CAP aircrew had been flying in the vicinity of the Waco Regional Airport, and had identified an intermittent ELT signal.

At this point, since the Incident Commander and his deputy – Lt Col Brooks Cima – had both worked a full duty day, but Lt Col Dietrich Whisennand – a qualified and experienced IC – had not, command was transferred to the latter for the rest of the evening. A similar arrangement was made for the communications team.

After selecting available Ground Team Leaders and Ground Team Members among those present, two ground teams were assembled. It was at that point that news came in. The downed aircraft had been located, the pilot had walked away from the wreckage – slightly wounded – and there had been no fatalities. There were, however, two other ELT signals still active in the area. One was near Austin, about 90 miles to the south, and another one about 10 miles west of the Waco airport. “We have a Red Cap,” said the ground team members, and off they went, seeking to deactivate the Waco signal. The Austin ELT was to be handled by Pegasus Composite Squadron, at Camp Mabry; that commander had already been alerted.

12. 13. 14. 15.  

[12]-[13] Both on Saturday and Sunday, the flight-line was always in flux, as sorties flew off and returned. [14]-[15] Maj Dan Williams (Commander) and 2d Lt Richard Hacker, both of Kittinger Phantom Senior Squadron, inspect their aircraft prior to flying a sortie. Maj Williams is wearing sun-glasses.

A limitation of CAP’s Cessna 172 and 182 aircraft is that if the cross-wind component of the prevailing winds is greater than 15 knots, they cannot operate – as this would be unsafe. Although Central Texas had been expected to have less than perfect weather for the weekend, the incursion of a high-pressure area covering Texas from the Panhandle to the Beaumont area had kept stormy conditions localized to the southwest and northeast. This weather haven, however, started to move eastwards late Saturday, so two CAP planes were sent off on a one-way mission to their West Texas home stations. This, too, mirrors the real-life situations encountered during hurricane season.

In a fluid weather environment, Search and Rescue (SAR) assets are located at a Staging Area (SA) as close to the trouble spot(s) as possible, consistent with safety. As the weather changes, so changes the SA’s location. In this case, since the exercise was scheduled to end on Sunday, 29 April, it was easier to send each affected plane and aircrew back on a one-way mission.

The “Find” on Saturday evening had put the ground team members in a good mood. The aircrew that first detected the signal, too, will get recognition for the job. They will all be entitled to wear the Civil Air Patrol’s “Find” ribbon.

On Sunday, 29 April, operations resumed at a steady pace. El Paso was still unable to launch, so they committed to ground team work. Amarillo had been tasked and was already part of the exercise. At Mission Base, buoyed by the evening’s “find,” and happy about their own good performance, personnel at all levels worked in concert, helping operations progress smoothly and well. Another ground team was tasked with a mission, completing all tasks as required. Aircrews kept going on sorties. Several times during the exercise, Cadet Moody operated the mission base radio while all aircraft and multiple ground teams had been launched, keeping close tabs on the progress of all missions.

16. 17. 18. 19. 20.  

[16]-[17] The Incident Commander, Lt Col Donald "Churck" Kowaleski, briefs the pilots before they fly their missions. [18] Back from the mission, paperwork seems endless. [19] The of the day for this aircrew. [20] A rare quiet moment at the Incident  Command Post. In the background, at the blackboard, Lt Col Cynthia Whisennand directs her son, Cadet Matthew Whisennand, both of Irving C.S.In the foreground, 1st Lt Brendan Goss stands by Maj Randy Russell, as they finish entering an update to the status of operations.

Mission Base Staff training took place as well. Several CAP officers, designated as Mission Staff Trainees, had assisted various staff officers in the conduct of normal functions. As they performed individual tasks, they were checked off if successful, nearing certification for the job. One of the successful trainers was Cadet Moody, who qualified two Mission Radio Operators (one cadet and one adult), as well as finished checking off an officer assigned to Texas Wing who was working towards her Communications Unit Leader (CUL) rating (she passed).

When asked for comments, the latter said, “At first I was a bit surprised that I would be instructed by a cadet. But that was before he started answering my questions. He was awesome. He probably taught me more about communications than I've learned so far. He’s the first one to explain things to me in a coherent way, rather than telling me to accept it just because that’s the way it’s always been done. He gave me concrete reasons and good examples. He was a great instructor. He took the time to explain how it is done, demonstrated it to me, made me practice it, tested me, and made sure I knew it before he would sign me off. Nice, too.” She is now an accredited CUL.

At the end of the exercise on Sunday, 29 April, 71 air sorties had been flown and 9 ground team missions completed, all with "Successful" results. Of these, 1 air sortie and 2 ground team missions had been “real world” work, performed under the umbrella of a USAF mission number.

This had been a real-time exercise. Since CAP, the civilian all-volunteer arm of the U.S. Air Force, is in a state of constant readiness, these periodic exercises and evaluations are critical in assuring optimum response time in the event of natural or man-made disasters. Hundreds of volunteer man-hours were invested in the planning, organizing and execution of this exercise.

CAP’s stated purpose is to respond quickly and proactively whenever disaster strikes. In Texas, during hurricanes Katrina and Rita, CAP flew numerous damage assessment sorties, aided in evacuee processing, sent ground teams to assess on-site damage, provided transportation for emergency services personnel and helped minimize the effect and repercussions of these events. More recently, during the Texas wildfire season that spanned November 2005 to April 2006 and burned an area roughly the size of the State of New Jersey, CAP’s firewatch missions were credited with having prevented a disaster of catastrophic proportions.

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, Information Officer

SAREVAL 2007, 18-20 May

D.W. HOOKS AIRPORT, SPRING, TX – Every two years, the U.S. Air Force evaluates each Civil Air Patrol wing in order to establish how capably they can perform their missions. Texas Wing’s turn came on the weekend of 18-20 May, 2007.

Texans know much about the weather and its perils. They also know that it hasn’t been until recent years that weather prediction has become more accurate, to the point that preparing for it and taking preventive action is possible without unnecessary disruption of the normal routine. For this evaluation, the Air Force created a scenario based on a hypothetical storm, “Hurricane Buster,” hitting the Galveston/Houston area and moving inland with ferocious winds.

Ran as a Distributed Search and Rescue Exercise, 25 locations in Texas – representing all 5 groups – provided air and ground team assets ready to carry out their assigned missions. Over a month before the evaluation was to take place, the Incident Commander, Maj Pat Benoit, gathered experienced and capable CAP members to staff the Incident Command Post, to be located at the D.W. Hooks Airport, in Spring, TX, a suburb of Houston. To be known as “Houston Mission Base,” it would direct all other units, each remaining in its own staging area, dispersed from Sulphur Springs to Brownsville, and from Amarillo to Baytown, covering all of Texas.

Over the last two years, Texas Wing has had to deal with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and that experience was still fresh in everyone’s mind. Texas Wing had contributed to the damage assessment and relief operations in the aftermath of Katrina, but Texas had been left largely untouched. Rita, on the other hand, had hit Texas directly, albeit in a small area, but the threat had been dealt with quickly and effectively.

Whereas Rita had followed an uncertain path, to the point that initially the predicted landfall covered the entire coastline extending from Brownsville to Mobile, AL, it had twisted its path clockwise and landed at New Orleans once again, with a path of destruction reaching westward to Beaumont but missing Galveston and Houston entirely.

The historical record isn’t much help in predicting where a hurricane will go, since each storm is its own entity and resolves its path as it is influenced by the weather systems present in the area. In 1961, Houston had suffered a crippling blow when, late in the season, Carla had hit it with 150 mph winds – one of the worst storms in decades, resulting in damage costing some $2 billion in 1990 dollars. Would this exercise involve a repeat performance?

The Texas Wing Planning staff was certain that it would get a workout during this evaluation exercise, so everyone prepared for it. Sure enough, it started with the delayed release of a message dated April 20, warning of a simulated hurricane that was expected to hit Florida, followed by another message dated 4 May, pinpointing “Tropical Storm Buster” in the proximity of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. From this point on, the simulated threat accelerated, “Buster” grew to a category 3 hurricane, and eventually barreled across the Gulf of Mexico towards Galveston and Houston.

Although the exercise was scheduled to start on May 18, the planning staff was faced with a number of situations they had to resolve on paper before anyone actually set foot at Houston Mission Base. This is called the “table-top” phase of the exercise. Although all actions are just announced, rather than carried out, each is evaluated on the basis of its expected result against the announced danger.

On May 18, Houston Mission Base was partially (but functionally) manned by 10 a.m., and fully manned by 6 p.m. that evening. This is when play started in earnest, and the Staging Area Managers began to receive their taskings. Some missions were assigned that Friday, and carried out as preliminary moves. Some aircraft were moved out of the hurricane’s expected path, and given missions that required them to land elsewhere and spend the night there. Friday was a long day, and although operations had been scaled down earlier, planning kept working until 10 p.m., preparing for the big day.

1. 2. 3. 4.    

[1] Cadets set up their tents, by the Delta Composite Squadron's building at D.W. Hooks Airport. [2] During a break, the Incident Commander, Maj Pat Benoit, gets an update from the Security Chief, Capt Steve Manley. [3] Cadet get organized for their security detail. [4] C/1st Lt Patrick Buchman helps with admin work and electronic faxing. (Photos: Capt Arthur Woodgate)

By Saturday, May 19, full-fledged operations were set in motion across Texas. Some aircrews were asked to run damage assessment flights and confirm the condition of selected structures or roads considered essential to maintaining normal conditions, others were sent on sorties ferrying simulated medical supplies, rescue missions were launched, or air-to-ground coordinated searches were sent went out, asked to look for simulated dangers or threats.

Houston Mission Base operated out of the two-story building that Delta Composite Squadron, Group IV, Texas Wing has on the D.W. Hooks Airport, Spring, TX. This is a superior facility, well suited for the work. Run as a real mission, local cadets and junior officers implemented building and ground security to perfection. They looked so hard that they even found threats that had not be planted by the Air Force planners (they all turned out to be harmless), but it demonstrated a high level of awareness on their part. The cadets ranged in age from 12 to their late teens.

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.    

[5] 1st Lt Jim Douglas, C/CMSgt Jamie Douglas, C/A1C Andre Leger, 2d Lt Darrell Roquemore, and C/SSgt Corbin Brown man the mess area "al fresco" by the SAREVAL building. [6] 2d Lt Aaron O'Connor by the Delta C.S. sign, supervises outside security. [7] Capt Steve Manley readies C/TSgt Robert Lewis for security duty. [8]-[9] The operations room was the heart of the exercise, where the staff kept track of all exercise activities in Texas Wing. (Photos: Capt Denise Thompson)

An air of purpose and determination permeated activities throughout the building. The Operations Room, crammed with some 20 to 30 personnel (the numbers kept changing as they walked in-and-out, on necessary errands), had the low noise level typical of a friendly social club – voices were never raised, tempers didn’t flare, the “board fillers” – a high proportion of them cadets – executed a quiet and harmonious dance as they moved back and forth between three walls that held many whiteboards. These were gradually filled with mission details, which got recorded on the electronic database, and the whiteboard data spaces got erased and made ready for the next mission that would be assigned to that element.

Reaching the Operations Room required getting past security. Very polite but firm cadets asked for individual identification before anyone was allowed up the stairs. The cadets were also bright. They soon learned who was allowed and who wasn’t, so they stopped asking for identification from those they had already cleared. When they detected any possible danger or anomaly, they called on their portable two-way radios and asked the Security Officer, a seasoned investigator, for his assistance.

Access to the building was controlled as well, and internal access was compartmentalized. This kept interference to a minimum, and the work got done efficiently and on time. Aircrews were flying within the hour of being tasked, ground teams were on the road equally promptly, having filled out all the required paperwork, received their mission and safety briefings, inspected their aircraft or ground vehicle, and been cleared to depart. The results began pouring in, and they were all positive.

The Communications Section kept track of every local aircraft aloft, or ground team in the field, maintaining periodic progress and status checks. Field results, sent in by the Staging Areas, were also maintained and recorded.

Administration, Finance, and other support areas are less glamorous positions, but they’re still vital to the conduct of a mission. Many cadets helped in these areas, and their contribution was essential to freeing experienced senior members to carry out more pressing tasks. Ultimately, the focus was on the mission and satisfying the needed tasking. Getting it all done is a complicated, interlocked, and demanding process. Getting it done well and on time takes dedication, training, and leadership.

Texas Wing was working like a fine, well-oiled machine, its parts humming as everyone put “heart” behind the push to completion. The sham “Hurricane Buster” hit Galveston and moved on to Houston, but luckily the simulated damage was light. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and kept at the business of managing assets, assigning aircrews and ground crews to tasks, providing answers to the questions posed by Air Force simulators, and in general taking care of the “to do” pile that couldn’t wait.

Then, later in the day, as hurricanes are apt to do, it decided to behave like a tornado. “Hurricane Buster” turned clockwise and, rather than moving east as expected, it kept turning until it made a simulated second pass over Houston. This time, though, it put the electrical plants out of commission, downed high-tension wires bringing in electricity from elsewhere, destroyed all cell phone towers, and downed the telephone lines as well. To make it more interesting, even Internet access was gone. What to do?

The Civil Air Patrol has organic communications equipment that runs on portable generators. Aircraft, too, have radio communications built in, as do CAP vans and selected vehicles assigned to staff members. This “home” network can reach very far into the world thanks to CAP’s airborne repeater stations that fly at 10,000 ft and higher. Texas Wing has two of these, and they have proved their worth before. This weekend, they worked well again.

Morale was high. As obstacles rose, they were knocked down. Problems were thrown in, only to be whittled down to size, parceled out, and vanquished. The Staging Areas steadily sent in their reports, keeping the flow of information running smoothly and accurately. A larger exercise, run by CAP’s Southwest Region, a command echelon that comprises Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas Wings, asked for various tasks to be carried out by Texas Wing. These were treated as requests from a client agency. The Air Force was satisfied that Texas Wing did not lose focus, and Southwest Region got its answers as unallocated assets became available to satisfy those requests.

Later that Saturday, the Inbox was considerably depleted, the number of reports kept pouring in, all tasking had been largely assigned to resources that would be freed to do the job on the following day, and all personnel and equipment were back from their missions. It was beginning to look like a very good day, which became even better when the Air Force decided that they had enough information to come up with their numbers. The evaluation’s operational phase was over.

10. 11.   

[10] Maj Jeffrey Pearson, a member of the GA-8 aircrew, speaks on his cell phone as Col Joe Smith, Texas Wing Commander, and Lt Col Max Hays, Chief of Staff, look on. [11] At the "end of exercise" briefing, Maj Pat Benoit announces that the Air Force has enough information to grade the exercise. At far left is the Air Force evaluator, Maj Vic Del Moral. (Photos:  Capt Denise Thompson)

At last count, 97 missions had been executed: 67 sorties using 22 CAP aircraft, and 30 ground missions using 13 CAP vans. A total of 237 personnel, including senior members and cadets, had participated in the SAREVAL.

“There’s still money in the kitty,” said Maj Pat Benoit, the Incident Commander, “Let’s go home now, and tomorrow we’ll finish what we started. Everyone should get as much training as we can give them.”

Sunday’s tempo returned to the usual friendly training routine. A routine that was now colored by the knowledge that the evaluation exercise had come pretty close to mimicking the activity one could expect when dealing with a real event. Energized by the previous two days, the aircrews and ground teams kept working with the same determination and purpose they has shown earlier in the weekend.

It was “missions as usual” and as expected, since the Civil Air Patrol is in a state of constant readiness, and that includes expecting the unexpected.

Sunday morning, the Air Force evaluators announced that Texas Wing had earned a preliminary rating of Successful, which means “mission capable,” with four examples of an Excellent rating. Mentioned were 1^st Lt Brendan Goss, Planning Section Chief; Lt Col Steve Haney, Logistics Section Chief; Maj Dennis Cima, Ground Branch Director, and Lt Col Terry Alexander, Communications Unit Leader.

12. 13.   

[12] Maj Risher Lewis, Group IV Logistics Officer, Air Force Maj Vick Del Moral, C/TSgt Robert Lewis (Maj Lewis' son), and Texas Wing Commander Col Joe Smith pose as Cdt Lewis proudly holds his SWLR Commander's Coin. [13] Maj Vick Del Moral personally congratulates Cdt Lewis on his performance, as Col Joe Smith looks on, with obvious pleasure. (Photos: Capt Arthur Woodgate)

Also, three individuals were recognized for outstanding work, and given a Southwest Liaison Region Commader's Coin, a distinction seldom given to so many during a single evaluation. They were Lt Col Owen Younger, Liaision Officer; Maj Randy Russell, Planning Unit Leader; and C/TSgt Robert Lewis, Security.

When asked how he felt about earning his coin, Cdt Lewis replied, “I’m honored to have it, but I didn’t do anything special, really.” The son of Capt Risher Lewis, Group IV Logistics Officer, Cdt Lewis is 15 years old, committed to the Civil Air Patrol program, and a team player.

Capt Arthur E. Woodgate, Information Officer, SAREVAL 2007

Denton Staging Area (Group II), SAREVAL 2007, 18-20 May